Buy at photos.djournal.com Earl Stevens doesn’t rush the process of wood carving by checking his progress every few minutes. “When your carving with a chainsaw it’s always better to shave off to little than to much....you can’t add back after its gone” Stevens said.

In Focus: Chainsaw artwork

Buy at photos.djournal.com Earl Stevens doesn’t rush the process of wood carving by checking his progress every few minutes. “When your carving with a chainsaw it’s always better to shave off to little than to much....you can’t add back after its gone” Stevens said.

Earl Stevens, 60, of Tupelo was asked by Stacy McFerrin to turn an old Pine tree stump in his front yard into a piece of artwork at McFerrin’s home on Chester Street. Stevens, who is normally lays ceramic tile had never tried his hand at wood carving on such a large scale much less with a chainsaw. All Stevens had to go by was a photo McFerrin provided him of a similar owl.

This marked Stevens’ first attempt to carve wood. “I just keep making it up as I go along,” he said. When the wooden owl is complete, he will have nearly two full weeks in the project.

Stevens used leaves and other items as his outlines for the feathers, ears and eyes. Once the owl is compete Stevens will work on the lower half of the stump to make it look like a pedestal.

“When I retire I’m going to sit on my front porch and make money carving.”